Many fans, for many reasons, are disappointed that the San Francisco 49ers didn't walk away from Hard Rock Stadium in February with a sixth Lombardi Trophy in hand. For some, it was more disappointing to watch veteran tackle Joe Staley walk away from his second Super Bowl trip with a defeat. It would be difficult to identify someone on the 49ers roster who was more deserving.
Still, there was the hope that the 2020 season would be different. Maybe it would feature a 49ers team dedicated to winning the big game for Staley.
Obviously, it wasn't meant to be.
Staley announced his retirement on Saturday. His otherwise illustrious career would end without a Super Bowl ring. Injuries made it too difficult for the veteran offensive lineman to push on. He will not be part of the team's "Legendary Revenge Tour of 2020."
While fans want the 49ers to make another Super Bowl run for Staley and, this time, win at the end, that's not necessarily what the offensive lineman wanted to be the driving force in any championship campaign. All-Pro tight end George Kittle spoke with reporters via a video conference call on Tuesday and shared why.
"I think Joe actually said, 'This isn't for me. This is for the team,'" Kittle explained. "I think he's said that before. So, I wouldn't say that the team was inspired by Joe's last season. I was banking on Joe playing another three years. So, just the fact that he retired is more tough than anything.
"The attitude that Joe showed up with all the time, and who he is as a person, I think that just kind of inspired guys to want to play at the same level he was playing. Joe played at an elite level for every year of his career. The Pro Bowls, the All-Pros, that all shows that."
Staley also spoke with reporters on Tuesday and shared why this last Super Bowl loss was so difficult for him. He isn't, however, going to dwell on the defeat.
"It sucks, it really does. I mean, it sucks to not be able to win that," Staley said. "I've watched since I was five years old, watching Super Bowls, and just the joy that it brings to players, being able to hoist that trophy up in the air. Just kind of reflect on the journey that it took to get there, and how meaningful that would have been for me and just everybody on the football team. There's so many different people that deserve that over the years.
"But it wasn't in the cards. I gave everything I had to the game of football, and I definitely don't leave my head hung, in that respect. I think I did everything I could do, but it just didn't happen, for whatever reasons. It just didn't happen for me, and it didn't happen for us. You know, that's frustrating, but it's not something that's going to torment me for the rest of my life."
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